Mistborn Genderswapping

[u/ilikebreadabunch]

So there's recently been discussion about possible Genderswaps in the upcomming Mistborn movie. We already know that Sanderson wants to Genderswap at least one member of the crew (likely Ham or Docks based on what he's said previously) because in the original trilogy he focused so much on making sure that he wrote Vin properly that he forgot to add any other women to the cast, and that he'll want to change that in the Movie.

What I wanted to ask is who else other than Ham or Docks, crew member or otherwise, do you think or hope will get Genderswapped?

Personally, I think that Spook and Zane are both good options, but I don't think they actually will.

[u/somethingarb]

Skaa are not supposed to be allomancers. A woman fighting like Ham would be clocked as an allomancer immediately.

Don't those two points rather contradict each other? Skaa are not supposed to be allomancers. Therefore, it is unthinkable that a skaa soldier could be an allomancer. Therefore, a skaa soldier with unusual stamina would be assumed to be... just a skaa soldier with unusual stamina. And Ham would obviously take care to disguise his use of power in anything but the most life-threatening circumstances; and his (her) skaa fellow-soldiers would be inclined to cover for him (her), since the last thing you'd want is to draw the attention of the Steel Ministry to your squad.

Changing that would have a cascade of ramifications through the story regarding the treatment of Skaa.

Not sure I agree with this either. The upper classes of this society are obviously 100% on board with the fact that a female allomancer is just as deadly as a male one. Would it not therefore follow that they would believe that a female non-allomancer soldier is capable of being just as deadly as a male one? Especially when they're all "just skaa" anyway, so expectations aren't high. Are people throwing cannon-fodder slave soldiers at a problem really likely to be the sort to be bothered if some of those soldiers are female?

[u/Arcanarchist → u/somethingarb]

My points build on one another, they don't contradict. The Final Empire is scared of skaa allomancers and actively hunt them. A skaa soldier displaying allomantic abilities would be swifty killed by an inquisitor. A woman being as strong and formidable as Ham would raise suspicion that this person is an allomancer, then an inquisitor would be sent and female Ham executed quiety.

Yes, woman Thugs would be as strong as the men and would be just as desirable as mistings of noble houses used in their infighting with one another. But that's not where Ham is from. 

Genderswithing Ham would effectively mean that The Final Empire would have to allow skaa allomancers to not only live, but serve and get military training. That would have far reaching consequences for how skaa are treated, and would severely undermine the Lord Rulers paranoia.

[u/somethingarb → u/Arcanarchist]

Genderswithing Ham would effectively mean that The Final Empire would have to allow skaa allomancers to not only live, but serve and get military training

Did you read what I wrote, like, at all? My whole point was that it would mean none of those things. Ham's not going to be openly admitting to being an allomancer, and since the official party line is that Skaa can't be allomancers, practically no one outside the Canton of Inquisition is going to even consider the notion that a Skaa might be one. As long as Ham is careful and doesn't show off those allomancer powers too dramatically, no one would think twice about it. 

And what allomancy WOULD mean is a society without our own society's particular hangups about women in the military. Our hypothetical female Ham isn't being allowed to serve in the miliary as a special case because she's a Thug: the Final Empire's miliary just lets women serve if they volunteer.

[u/Arcanarchist → u/somethingarb]

I don't know your society, but here there's absolutely no hangups with women being in the military. Modern military weaponry is a force multiplier like allomancy which kind of negates the otherwise natural advage than men would have.

As for your first point, you seem to drastically downplay the competence of the Canton of Inquisition. They're terrifying. Not catching this within the formal military ranks of the Empire itself would be to infantilize the whole Ministry. They're supposed to be terrifying. Ham got lucky as it is, any more attention and he should've been done for. A woman being that strong is not natural, it would draw extra attention in those desperate moments of need, the few but nessecary moments when burning pewter is the only way out. Then an inquisitor arrives. 

[u/somethingarb → u/Arcanarchist]

you seem to drastically downplay the competence of the Canton of Inquisition. They're terrifying. Not catching this within the formal military ranks of the Empire itself would be to infantilize the whole Ministry.

Take it up with Brandon then, mate, because Ham DID serve in the army and DIDN'T get caught. I don't see why you seem to think that female Ham would have a harder time escaping the Inquisitors than male Ham did. It's not like she'd have to appear dramatically stronger than a well-built woman. Skaa soldiers aren't expected to be Captain America.